Kiss an Angel Good Morning
by Angel in the Morning
Summary: Evelyn Svedlack is a working girl who seems to have surviving in New York down to a science. Until Spot Conlon. When one night completely overturns her entire world, she is left with no one but Spot.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the movie.

Another sleepless day had turned into night. The sun had sunk past the horizon in a painting of oranges, yellows, and pinks casting haunting shadows on derelict buildings and leaving behind an eerie mysterious darkness. A time of quiet and relaxation for most people in New York. Evelyn Svedlack was not most people; for her, night was the beginning. The whole night lay ahead of her, adventures awaited her. Not the kind of adventures most people would look forward to; Evelyn herself was reluctant to begin her repetitive nightly adventures but money had to be earned.

By leaning out her tiny third story window, Evelyn could feel the breeze coming off the water. It was her favorite time of night; before the customers came and after the busy hustle and bustle of Brooklyn calmed. Not that it stayed calm by any means. Nights in Brooklyn were generally louder than the days, particularly in the less monitored areas. Evelyn took a deep breath and let the familiar smell wash over her and calm her nerves. Each night brought unknowns which made Evelyn nervous. The only known in Evelyn's business was that there would always be business. No matter how poor a man was, he was always willing to spend a little for an hour of bliss.

A knock on the door pulled Evelyn inside. "Evelyn, it's a newsie. Should I say no?" It was Kitty. Kitty had once been in Evelyn's place but after sleeping with the boss she had been promoted. She now spent her time opening the door to the apartment and greeting customers.

Evelyn frowned to herself. Newsies never had enough money to get out of the job yet many of them kept wasting their money on prostitutes. She never felt good about servicing them and Kitty was well aware of that fact. Not that she felt great about servicing men in general but there was something about the young newsies that made her courageous enough to refuse from time to time. A flash of pain in her arm reminded her of the last time she refused and all courage was gone. "I'll do it, Kitty," Evelyn relented. "If O'Malley found out I refused a customer..." she left her statement unfinished. They both knew what he would do and neither one of them wanted to ponder on it all too much. She turned away from the window and checked herself in the mirror. Her long dirty blond hair was piled recklessly on top of her head and looked as though it were going to tumble down her face any moment. In her business, it didn't pay to try to keep perfectly coiffed hair. Deciding that she looked good enough for a newsie, Evelyn opened her door and arched her eyebrow in surprise.

The newsie standing in front of her was quite familiar to her. In fact, she had been buying a newspaper from him every day for the several months that she had been with O'Malley but this was the first time that he had shown up on her door. "If it ain't Spot Conlon hisself," she cooed as she leaned against the door. The young man in front of her smiled and Evelyn could tell he was used to his smile melting the hearts of ladies everywhere. "What brings you knocking on my door?" she flirted.

"Can I come in, Miss Svedlack?" He flashed her his smile again. Evelyn ran her eyes over him suspiciously a little harder than she did with most customers. Most customers didn't bother being polite, no customers did actually. She wasn't sure if his politeness meant he was new to the game or if it meant something more sinister. In spite of her reservations, she moved aside and motioned for him to come in. She watched him as he looked around her bare room. The tiny room contained a rickety dresser and a single bed. It was pathetic and she knew it, not that she particularly cared. This room was used for one purpose and one purpose only so there was no need for any fancy decorations to hide its true purpose. Evelyn watched the newsie's eyes flicker to and from the bed. She could feel him judging her. It didn't anger her; she was used to customers thinking little of her. They weren't the ones that mattered so she didn't let their opinions bother her. Spot turned and smiled at her but it wasn't the same enchanting smile as before. Evelyn had seen the same reaction many times; the magic of prostitution had faded for him and with it went his smile.

"What can I do for you?" Evelyn asked, her voice dripping with silky promises.

Spot looked unsure and Evelyn thought it was the first time she had ever seen him unsure of himself. He was fiddling with his ever present cane. I wonder why a healthy young man insists on carrying a cane, Evelyn mused. It was a momentary rumination because Evelyn quickly returned her mind to the present, sensing that he was slipping away. Losing a customer had even worse consequences than refusing one. Evelyn tilted her head seductively, prompting Spot to answer, "I'm not sure."

Evelyn sighed in frustration, "Didn't Kitty explain the services and prices to you?" She wouldn't doubt it if the girl didn't; she was the worst at what she did. Evelyn secretly disliked Kitty and thought she was taking advantage of her situation. If she had been given the chance to get away from servicing men and just working the door, she would have shown her appreciation by doing a much better job than Kitty. But that's what you get for sleeping with the boss. This was going to be a bad night, Evelyn grumbled to herself. She could feel it in her bones.

Spot shook his head, "She did." He said quickly, "I don't want any of them."

A frown crossed Evelyn's mouth as alarms in her head went off, "I don't do anything that's not offered." She moved slowly towards the door and prayed that Spot would turn out to be one of those customers. The ones that got their jolly off by hurting girls.

"No, I don't want any services." He looked disgusted by the prospect causing Evelyn to become confused. What the hell does this man want, she thought. His body language had shown his attraction to her since he had walked into the room causing his reaction to make absolutely no sense. As she stared at him in an attempt to figure out what he wanted, the look of disgust on his face angered her. It was one thing for people on the streets to judge her but when someone came to her place of business, to her home and blatantly judged her because of what she did to survive, Evelyn became defensive and distraught.

"Then what the hell do you want, Mr. Conlon?" she exclaimed angrily. "What was the point of coming here?"

"I wanted to get to know you."

His words stopped anything from coming out of her mouth. Evelyn was dumbfounded. She had never even entertained the thought that someone, knowing what she did, would possibly be interested in knowing her. As that thought crossed her mind, her eyes narrowed as the thought developed that this could all be a trick. There were stories of girls who had been lured away from the men who protected them and been murdered. I should ask him to leave, she thought. She opened her mouth to tell him so but that wasn't what came out. Instead she asked a question, "Why?"

"Why not?" he countered quickly.

Because of what I do, she thought, because of who I am, who owns me. She didn't say any of those things. Instead she stared at the disconcerting newsie in front of her and chewed on her nail as she contemplated who he was and what he could possibly want. She watched him watch her try to swim out of the confusion. He seemed earnest but he was a newsie, a con artist who couldn't be trusted. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock on the door. "Svedlack, what's going on?" a cold voice barked through the door. Evelyn could have recognized that voice in her sleep. She glared at the newsie, "Now you've done it." Her reaction caused Spot to stand taller and grasp his cane tighter.

Evelyn walked quickly to the door an opened it. The man standing there was large enough to fill the door frame. His muscles bulged and stretched his grimy, tattered shirt. If his size didn't scare someone, the look on his face would. O'Malley was brought into the business because of his experience with hurting people and his eyes showed that he had enjoyed every last second of it. His dark eyes quickly scanned the room and landed on the newsie. Evelyn knew this was not going to end well for Spot as O'Malley barked, "What's the problem?"

Evelyn smiled and tried to infuse as much charm as possible into her voice. "Nothing, O'Malley. We was just figuring out the arrangement." Evelyn spoke quickly. She could see that her words had no effect; his eyes had not even flickered in her direction. They had never left the newsie. O'Malley was like a pit bull locked onto his target.

He brushed Evelyn to the side as he walked over to the newsie and towered over him, "The arrangement is you pay and she services. Any problems?"

Evelyn watched in surprise as Spot took a step closer to O'Malley, "Yea, there are." Evelyn's mouth dropped. Was this newsie really going to start something with a man nearly twice his size? Over what?

O'Malley chuckled, "We can fix that." He pulled back his fist and Evelyn covered her eyes and looked away. She had seen this scene play out too many times to count and knowing exactly how it would end; she had no inclination to watch. She regretted that it had to happen to the newsie who had been so intriguing. Evelyn heard loud scuffling and grunting. She couldn't tell how badly the newsie was getting hurt but she knew it couldn't be good. She covered her ears and crouched in the corner as the noises got louder and closer in an attempt to stay out of the fray. O'Malley had never been the most accurate with his aim and a blow or two had landed in her direction before. Through her covered ears she heard a tell tale gunshot which scared the living daylights out of her and caused her to let out a yelp of fear. She turned to the two men and was shocked to see O'Malley lying in a pool of blood. The shock caused her to fall back onto her butt as she surveyed the scene. She couldn't see where he had been shot but it was obvious that he had been. He was lying face down and blood was blooming around his body. She looked up at the newsie who was panting and bleeding from several cuts to his face.

He calmly turned towards her, "Are you okay?"

Evelyn opened her mouth but nothing came out. She wanted to scream that no, she wasn't all right, that there was a dead body on the floor, but she couldn't speak. She couldn't think. Her mind was a foggy haze and all that she could think was there was a dead body. She took a deep breath and shook her head slowly as tears sprang to her eyes.

Spot walked over to her and held out his hand, "Let's go."

A laugh escaped from her lips and Evelyn knew she looked crazed. She felt crazed. The laugh seemed to break the barrier and she was able to speak, "Go? Go where? This is my house." Thoughts rushed together causing a traffic jam in her head hindering all ability to think rationally.

"Well, it's obvious that you can't live here anymore." Spot said. He leaned closer, his hand directly in front of her face.

"And where do you propose I go? You killed my boss." She laughed a crazed laugh again. Her voice kept getting louder until she was screaming, "You killed him. You fucking killed him!" She pushed his hand away and sobbed. Not only were her thoughts a jumble but Evelyn's emotions were a rampant unmanageable labyrinth.

He shook her slightly, "Calm down, Evelyn." She stared at him wordlessly. "It's not like he didn't have it coming." Spot added softly.

Rage built up in her, "Because he ran prostitutes? Do I have it coming too?" Rage was the easiest emotion to grab onto and Evelyn had latched onto it with her teeth and wasn't letting go. "How dare you come in here and just...just..." She had run out of energy when she saw the body out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards it, "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Evelyn, you need to calm down."

She shook her head, "I...I can't. What am I going to do? I'm going to get blamed for this? What's going to happen to me?" She curled up in a ball on the floor and moaned.

"We will figure it out later. We have to go." Evelyn shook her head and remained on the floor. Go? This was insane, she thought.

Spot shook his head, losing his patience. "Evelyn, listen. That guy wasn't the one in charge. If you stay here, the person who is in charge will come."

Evelyn frowned. She couldn't think. Her thoughts were coming in short irrational jumbles. Spot took her hand and pulled her up, having lost all patience and knowing that time was running out. "You need to come with me." Evelyn could only nod. Even going with the newsie was better than what would happen to her if the boss were to come and find her with O'Malley's body.

They started towards the door, giving the dead body and growing pool of blood a wide berth. Spot motioned for her to be quiet as he stuck his head into the hallway. After a cursory glance in both directions, he led her down the hallway. There was silence behind the few doorways and Evelyn figured the other girls had either been scared away after the gun shot or were hiding until they were told it was safe to come out as they had been trained to do. Spot led her to the door of the apartment and opened the door. Before he pulled her through, Evelyn took one glance over her shoulder and looked at the life she had known for the last several months. The crappy, insect infected apartment had been her only home for a long time. She felt a twinge of regret for leaving it but before she could ponder on it, Spot had pulled her into the hallway and off into the night.

A/N: Well, you've read it. You know the next step. For those of you who don't I will give you a hint. It starts with re- and ends with –view. Thanks a bunch.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the movie.

They tore through the streets, twisting and turning through the labyrinth of buildings and alleys. People flew by in a blur; Evelyn caught only a nose or the color of a hat out of the corner of her eyes. Spot lead the way with a death grip on her hand which only fueled her adrenaline. She could only imagine how crazed they must look, running as if their lives depended on it. She supposed hers did, to some extent. Evelyn's lungs were burning with the exertion that came from the overuse of unused lungs. Her corset felt as though it tightened with each gulp of air she took, hindering any possibility of breathing normally. Her breath came out ragged and she was wheezing. She desperately tried to slow down, "Spot...I can't."

He tugged on her arm without looking back and without slowing, "We can't stop, Evelyn. We have to keep moving."

He tried to pull her along but her legs felt like jelly and she couldn't get a firm hold on the ground. She stumbled and fell forward, landing on her hands and left knee. A sharp pain shot through her knee as it smashed against the dirty, debris strewn sidewalk and caused her to cry out. She pushed herself to a sitting position and grabbed her injured knee, feeling upset and dejected. Spot had turned to her as she had fallen and now knelt down beside her, "Are you alright?"

Evelyn looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Spot, I can't run anymore." She refused to tell him that her corset was hurting her. She may have been a prostitute but she was still a lady and ladies did not mention their corsets. She willed him to understand, hoping that maybe he would just think she had weak lungs. If he made her keep running, Evelyn was sure that her lungs would explode.

He seemed to resign himself to the idea that she wasn't going much further and he glanced around. He saw something and smiled as he turned to her, "Alright. I know a place we can stop." He lifted her up and set her on her feet. Evelyn noticed how strong and sure his hands felt around her waist and wondered if he was going to expect any services now that she was virtually stuck with him. "Did you hurt yourself when you fell? Can you walk?" Their faces were only inches away from each other and Evelyn turned away, embarrassed.

The pain in her knees was dulling to an ache which Evelyn expected would be there for awhile. She knew she could walk just fine but Spot didn't seem to think she could stand since his hands were still around her waist. She pulled away from him and his fingers reluctantly released her. "I'm fine. I just need to rest," she said softly. She wondered why he was helping her and remembered what he had said back in her room; he had wanted to get to know her. She didn't even know what he meant by that. She mentally shook herself; there would be other, more appropriate times to as those questions.

Spot nodded, "This way." He turned and led her to a nearby building. Evelyn quickly glanced over the building but couldn't get a clear view of the name over the door before Spot quickly pulled her through the door. Evelyn's nose was assaulted by a plethora of unpleasant smells, the most prominent of which was vomit. Her eyes opened wide as she took in her surroundings, "A bar?" She knew good things rarely came from young women being in bars and wondered once again what this newsie really wanted from her.

Spot turned and saw her fearful look on her face. "You ain't ever been to a bar?" he asked doubtfully.

Evelyn frowned, "I work from O'Malley's place. I don't ever leave. It's different than your regular street walkers." She wasn't shocked by his assumption. Everyone assumed that prostitutes didn't have morals and would go anywhere or do anything.

A raised eyebrow was all she got in response as he led her to a booth. Evelyn looked around and immediately became self conscious of her dress. She was wearing more than most street walking prostitutes but the amount of shoulder and cleavage she was showing made it obvious to every man in the bar what she did for a living. Many of them had turned towards her as she followed Spot. She prayed she wouldn't be recognized by any former customers who would likely cause trouble. She tugged on her sleeves in an attempt to cover her shoulders and crossed her arms in front of her chest as they sat down. She chewed her nail nervously and before Spot had a chance to open his mouth, she blurted out, "So what's our plan?"

Spot shrugged nonchalantly, "I ain't got a plan." He motioned for someone to bring him a drink.

Evelyn felt her heart sink. This newsie had completely destroyed her life and he had absolutely no plan? Tears sprang to her eyes and anger rose in her throat. The shock of the incident had worn off and she was filled with anger that this newsie had dared to ruin any semblance of a life she had managed to create and now was sitting and drinking as though he hadn't a care in the world. "What do you mean you don't have a plan?" she hissed harshly yet quietly. It wouldn't help her at all to start anything in this place.

The sharpness of her words caused his eyes to narrow, "I haven't thought that far ahead yet." The look on his face dared Evelyn to challenge him and Evelyn became aware that Spot was used to having some power over those around him.

She took a deep breath and willed herself to keep from jumping over the table to strangle him. He was the only person she really had who could help her and she doubted he would be quite as helpful if she attacked him in front of a room full of men. She spoke quietly, "What do you mean? How far ahead have you thought?"

Spot's drink arrived and he took a long gulp from it. Evelyn momentarily wondered how newsies ever made a living if they spent all their money on beer and women. She was jolted out of her thoughts as Spot spoke, "Get out of the apartment."

His words were like a slap in the face and Evelyn's voice rose, "Are you kidding me? You had no plan when you killed him?" A few heads turned in their direction causing Spot to grab her arm and pull her close, knocking over his drink in the process, "Listen, don't go broadcasting that fact," he warned angrily.

Evelyn clenched her teeth and held back tears. She put her face in her hands and took three deep breaths in an attempt to remain calm. She looked up at him and saw someone had already cleaned up his spill. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked softly, resigning herself to the fact that she was at this newsie's mercy.

He shrugged, "Get outta Brooklyn."

An image of a giggling baby boy flashed through her mind and she shook her head, "That's not an option." She couldn't just up and leave, she had responsibilities here. Surely he would understand that.

She sounded so sure when she said it that Spot didn't question her. He eyed her for a moment before stating, "Then you need to get a job that ain't whoring yourself out."

Evelyn clenched her teeth and held in her anger, "What exactly do you proposed, Mr. Conlon? Be a newsie?" As much as Evelyn disliked the work she was in, she would much rather continue doing so that peddling paper for pennies a day.

Spot laughed, "Girls ain't newsies." Seeing the look on her face stopped his laughter and he turned serious. "I don't know. Factory work?"

She shook her head, "I'm not working for no money for a factory where I will most likely die." She had known too many friends who had believed themselves lucky to get out of the business and into some factory that had promised them the moon, only to be treated worse than rats once they got there.

Spot snorted, "Because your line of work is so safe."

"It was until you came along," she retorted coldly, reminding him that it was his fault that she was in this mess in the first place.

He looked away and took a deep breath. Her comment seemed to drive home the fact that he was responsible for her. After a moment of silence and Spot turned and seemed to be studying her. Evelyn held herself tighter, self-conscious of his intense stare. He spoke, "Maybe I have something for you, with the newsies."

Evelyn suspected that she knew exactly what type of something Spot had in mind. It didn't particularly offend her but it irked her that he would assume that was the only option available to her, especially after basically ordering her out of that line of work. She frowned and spoke, "I'm not being the newsies' personal whore."

Spot looked confused for a split second before he recovered and shook his head, "I didn't ask you to be."

"Oh," she said softly. She wasn't embarrassed by her assumption. In her line of work she had been conditioned to believe that certain services were the only ones a group of men could want. "What then?" she asked, curious.

"At the lodging house, we have a caretaker," Spot explained. "Or we did. He's still technically working there but he's so old, he can't do much." Evelyn started to understand what Spot was getting at but waited for him to continue. "He wants me to take his job but I ain't the type to take care of others."

The last few words were common euphemisms in her business and Evelyn eyed him cautiously, "Take care of you how?"

Spot shook his head, clearly understanding what she was implying. "Not like that." He shrugged, "Just collecting payment and making sure the place is clean."

The prospect seemed too easy. Evelyn wouldn't mind doing a simple job like that and it would keep her from being outside in the streets too much where her boss could find her. It would be a nice change from selling herself every night. She chewed on her nail as she contemplated, "And he would just let me take it?" Spot nodded. There was one important question she had to ask. "How much does it pay?"

Spot shrugged, "I don't know. The city pays him a monthly salary. He lives at the lodging house so he don't have to pay rent. It's not a lot but he sends some money to his sister so I guess it's enough."

His last comment made Evelyn sure she wanted the job. She had always been thrifty and crafty with money so she would probably be able to send some of her earnings as well just as she had been doing before. "Would I be allowed to live there as well?" she asked.

Spot shrugged, "You would make the rules. I doubt anyone would mind."

Evelyn frowned; this seemed too easy. Jobs and opportunities like this didn't just fall into people's laps. It made her suspicious, "I'm not sure."

"Listen, why don't you just come over and talk to him."

A laugh floated from her mouth, "Spot, it has to be after midnight." She wondered what type of city run establishment allowed young men to come and go at such late hours. Then again, O'Malley's was financed by many influential people throughout New York City, she reasoned.

A nonchalant shrug was his response. "So spend the night, talk to him in the morning."

Evelyn raised her eyebrows and snorted, "I can't spend the night with a bunch of young men dressed like this."

His eyes ran over her clothes and it seemed to dawn on him for the first time that she was dressed rather provocatively. He frowned for a moment and then seemed to resign to something, "I have me own room. Sleep there."

She shook her head vehemently, "I'm not sleeping with you." I knew it, she thought, he expects me to sleep with him for helping me.

He shook his head, "I will sleep with the rest of me newsies."

A frown crossed her face. His response was not what she had expected. Maybe this newsie wasn't as selfish as she had anticipated. She didn't want to apologize for assuming him to be a ruthless cad and changed the subject, "Your newsies?"

He nodded. "I'm their leader," he said proudly.

"Oh," she said quietly. "I didn't know the newsies had a leader." She hadn't even known the newsies were organized. Being a leader explained why he was obviously accustomed to power and acted as such. And why he lashed out at O'Malley the way he did.

"Everyone needs a leader," Spot reasoned, smirking.

His eyes twinkled when he smirked and Evelyn couldn't help but smile back softly, "I guess."

Spot stood up, "Well, I'm tired. Are you coming or not?"

Evelyn stared at him for a moment. He seemed so sure of himself that Evelyn was drawn to him. She still had reservations about actually accompanying the newsie to his home but as she glanced around the room, it became obvious that he was her best option. The looks on the faces of some of the men in the room said that as soon as she was alone, bad things would happen. She stood and nodded, "I guess I am."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the movie.

Evelyn couldn't sleep. She was physically and mentally exhausted but her mind wouldn't stop replaying the sight of O'Malley's dead body every time she closed her eyes preventing any sleep from coming. She had never actually seen a dead body before. O'Malley had never killed anyone, at least in front of her. No one had. Even thinking about it brought back a bought of nausea that sent her running to the window. Her head ached, her body felt as though she had been ran over by a horse, and her stomach was growling with discontent. Quite simply, Evelyn was miserable. She was sitting in a chair by the window with her knees pulled to her chest. It was near sun up. Evelyn usually loved this time of day because it meant that she was done for the night and could sleep. Today though, the rising sun only brought fear, trepidation and worry about what was going to become of her.

Her entire situation seemed so surreal that she kept pinching herself to ensure that it was not a dream, that she was actually at the mercy of Spot Conlon. Only twelve hours ago, she had been preparing for a night of work that she despised but had resigned herself to. Now she was here, in the bedroom of a Brooklyn newsies. _The_ Brooklyn newsie she reminded herself, their leader. Leader, she scoffed, what on earth could they need a leader for?

She heard shuffling from downstairs and nearly fell off the chair out of surprise. Spot's room was located on the second floor at the far end of the hall. The rest of the second floor was taken up by bunkrooms and a single large washroom. She could only assume that the shuffling that she heard downstairs was the caretaker, Joe, who Spot had told her about. Or someone had found her. She shook her head and tried to reason to herself. She was not nearly a big enough earner for the boss to go through the trouble of getting her back. Unless he thought _she _killed O'Malley. The shuffling was moving up the stairs slowly. Evelyn stood out of the chair and wrapped the thin blanket she had taken from the bed around her. As the footsteps got closer, her heart began to race as worried flooded her mind. Even if it was simply the caretaker she shouldn't be here. What if she got thrown out? Where would she go? How had she let him talk her into this stupid plan? There was a knock on the door. Evelyn stared at the door, unable to speak.

It creaked open and a grey headed man popped his head through the door. He smiled cheerfully, "You're up." He pushed the door open fuller and shuffled into the room. He was bone thin and she swore she could hear his bones cracking with each move he made. Evelyn's pulse began to slow as it became apparent he was the caretaker. Or an old assassin, she snickered to herself irrationally. "You must be the girl," he said as he held out his hand.

Her head began to race again as Evelyn stared at him, terrified, "Girl?" Her mind conjured up ideas and fantasies about how the boss had sent this man to ease her suspicions and kill her as soon as she let her guard down. She shook her head. Why had she listened to Kitty's stories? She walked to him and cautiously held out her hand to him.

He smiled again as he generously shook her hand, "The one from the note."

"Note?" she squeaked. Had someone come looking for her and left a note? She backed away slowly and suspiciously. Perhaps this man was not as old as he appeared and it was all a disguise. Her mind ran rampant with fear. Damn Kitty and her stupid stories, she thought.

He laughed, "Spot left me a note. Said you're looking for a job."

She sighed in relief and smiled apologetically, "Oh, thank goodness." She realized that she probably seemed quite crazy. "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm a little jumpy." Her smile fell, "I had a bit of a rough night."

He glanced over her and smiled, "In that case, come downstairs, let's have some tea." They made their way down to a tiny kitchen with Evelyn following slowly behind the old man. She certainly could understand why he felt the need to retire with as much pain as he seemed to be in as he walked. Once they got to the kitchen, the man busied himself with making tea. Evelyn stood awkwardly to the side, feeling like she should be helping but not knowing what to do.

He turned to her and handed her a steaming cup of tea. Evelyn took a sip from it and felt it warm her belly. She smiled, "Thank you." She bit her lip, "I'm sorry. I don't know your name."

He shook his head at himself, "My manners have been going as I'm getting older. My name is Joe."

She smiled, "I'm Evelyn." She paused and seemed at a loss for words. "Sir, I don't want to take your job from you," she blurted out. He was too kind and sweet for her to do so.

His laugh came from the bottom of his stomach which made Evelyn smile helplessly. Once he finished laughing, he spoke, "I would like you to take my job." Evelyn raised her eyebrow in question but before she could ask, the man explained. "I'm too old to be running after young men all the time."

"I just don't want you to think I'm forcing you out of your job," she said earnestly.

"I know you aren't," he said simply.

Evelyn paused, "This has got to seem entirely crazy." It sure did to her.

He shrugged, "Nothing seems crazy after living with these newsies." The look on his face made Evelyn wonder what exactly he had seen while working here. Did his grey hair and wrinkles come from the worry that came with the job?

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"I was a newsie and took over for the previous caretaker. I've been here too long," he said sadly.

Something in his eyes made her ask, "Was it hard for you?"

He glanced at her, surprised. Evelyn supposed few people asked him questions about his life. She wondered if he had ever married or had children. He was so kind that she wished that he had. He sighed in resignation, "The hardest part about this job is the losses. The boys who die, the ones who get sent to prison, or even the ones who go back to homes where they ain't cared for. You always wish you could save every last one of them."

Evelyn reached for his hand and squeezed it silently. Joe smiled softly. After a moment he shook his head and pulled his hand away, "That's why I need you to replace me. This job's too hard on an old man like me. You'll do fine."

She shook her head and pushed, "But you don't know me; you don't know what I'm like. How can you entrust your job to me?" This all seemed too good to be true and Evelyn intended to find out if it was.

"Evelyn, I'm gunna let you in on a little secret," he leaned close and smiled. "As rough and tumble as these boys are, they all have good hearts. They care for the people around them and you, well, you were lucky enough to catch the eye of one of them."

She frowned, "I don't understand."

He motioned for her to follow him and Evelyn wondered where they were going. Joe led her into the entry way which had a few pieces of furniture strewn about. He sat in a tattered chair and motioned for her to sit as well. "A few months ago, Spot come home in a mood. It took me awhile but he's always been able to talk with me. Turns out, he met a girl who reminded him of someone he knew a long time ago."

Elizabeth. The first time she had ever met Spot, she had been walking home from an appointment. She remembered it clear as a bell. It was a rainy day and she had been hurrying along, not paying attention to where she was going and she had bumped into someone. She had looked up and smiled apologetically. The young man in front of her had dirty blonde hair plastered to his face leaving him looking like a drowned rat, although a rather adorable drowned rat. The look on his face sent shivers down her spine. After a moment he spoke in a mixture of disbelief and hopefulness, "Elizabeth?"

Evelyn was brought back from her memories by a slight movement from the man across from her. He had been studying her reaction and something told her this man knew more about her than she knew. She tilted her head curiously, "Who was she?"

"That's not my story to tell. What I can tell you is that he wanted to save you. And if he trusts you enough to bring you here, then I respect that choice."

More like he was forced to bring me here, she thought to herself. She nodded, "I think I understand."

They spent the next half hour talking about her life and new job. It seemed relatively simple. She would make sure the newsies were awake in time to sell since they seemed to be incapable of waking themselves, Joe added with a laugh. Once they were gone she would see to the basic needs of the lodging house by ensuring that it was clean and everything was in order. The hardest part of her job would be getting the boys to part with their room and board.

Joe glanced at the only clock in the place and stood. "It's about time to wake the devils," he said with a smile. "I'll stay and help the first few days."

Evelyn frowned. Only a few days? To learn how to be in charge of a newsboys lodging house? She stood nervously and unwrapped the blanket from herself for the first time. Joe spied her outfit and let out a low whistle. "I think you'd better change before you meet the boys."

Her heart dropped and she mumbled, "I don't have nothing else to wear." They had left so quickly, Evelyn hadn't had a chance to even grab her toothbrush. Thankfully the tea Joe had given her had some mint in it and would cover her breath at least.

Joe looked her over for a moment, "I think I have something for you." He walked back to what Evelyn could only assume was his room and began rummaging around. After a few minutes, he returned carrying a dress, "Now, I know it ain't high fashion or nothing but it belonged to my wife before she passed."

He held it out to her but Evelyn shook her head, "I couldn't wear that. It must have meant something to you if you kept it."

Joe smiled, "You're a sweet girl. But it's been awhile and it's high time I cleaned out some of her stuff."

Evelyn frowned but took it, "Thank you."

"Go and change. I'll wake the boys and you can meet some of them when they come down."

Evelyn walked into the room he had been pointing to and quickly changed. Joe was right, it certainly wasn't a very fashionable dress but Evelyn had never been too concerned with fashion so she didn't mind. It felt odd wearing a dress that completely covered her. In her line of work, the more you showed the better. She was in the process of putting her hair up when she heard what sounded like a stampede coming down the stairs and had a moment of panic. It sounded like there were over a hundred feet rushing down at once. She began to, once again, doubt her decision. The rumbling stopped in the entry way and there was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called softly.

Spot opened the door and walked through. He smirked, "Nice outfit."

Evelyn frowned, "It was Joe's wife's, Spot." She knew it would stop him cold.

"Oh," he said. He had the grace to look contrite for a moment but it was quickly gone. He held his hand out, "Come on. You have to meet the boys before we go sell."

She took his hand as she asked, "How many newsies are there?"

Spot shrugged, "A lot." He led her to the entry way and Evelyn's jaw dropped. The room was filled to the brim with newsboys of all shapes and sizes. There must have been at least forty of them. Evelyn struggled to look calm and in control. "These here are some of me newsies," Spot said proudly. Evelyn smiled weakly as her mind raced. Only some?

Joe came shuffling down the stairs and watched as Spot spoke to his newsies, "Listen up boys, this is the woman I was telling ya'll about. Her name's Evelyn and she's gunna be taking over for Joe." There was a murmur of hi's and hello's. Evelyn was surprised that was all she heard but she reasoned that it was early and many of them were still half asleep. Spot jerked his head, "Now get outta here." The newsies quickly began to file out of the lodging house.

Evelyn turned to Spot in disbelief, "I can't do this. How on earth am I going to take care of all of them?"

He laughed, "It ain't that hard and if any of them give you any trouble, let me know." He smiled reassuringly, "You'll be fine." He glanced after his newsie, "Gotta go carry the banner. See you tonight." He took off out the door without another word.

She turned and looked at Joe who smiled kindly at her, "It's a little overwhelming at first but you'll get the hang of it."

Evelyn shook her head. She was completely overwhelmed and out of her element. She doubted she would ever get the hang of this.

A/N: Thanks for reading! It makes me happy. See that little review button? You should click it. Come on, you know you want to. Give in to peer pressure. It's good for you.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the movie.

Evelyn was near tears. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to calm herself. "I think it's too soon," she argued feebly. His mind was already made up but that would not stop her from trying.

A glance at her face showed him just how worried she was. It warmed his heart to know that such a young girl could treasure an old man like himself. Joe smiled softly as he continued to gather his things, "Evelyn, it's been a week."

"Exactly," she argued. "Only a week. I'm not ready." Evelyn resisted the sudden urge to hold onto Joe and force him to stay. She knew her actions were unreasonable but couldn't stop them. As a prostitute she had dealt with men she wouldn't doubt had murdered people but the idea of being left alone with a building full of young men scared the living daylights out of her. Especially when one of them had recognized her.

Joe was aware of her worries. He stopped gathering his things and turned towards her, "You will do fine, sweetheart."

She shook her head, "How do you know? Boxer refuses to do anything I ask and I know Tease recognizes me and will do something as soon as you leave."

Joe smiled knowingly, "I would like to see him try." Seeing her dejected look, he put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. "Don't underestimate the power Spot has over these boys. Everyone will come around eventually." His look hardened, "And if Tease does try something, you just let me know."

Evelyn felt her heart swell and smiled softly. She wiped her tears from her eyes, "But what about you? Where will you go?" She knew his wife had died but she had never found out if he had any children. Spot just assumed he had a place to go and had told her to mind her business when it came to Joe.

"Don't you worry about me, Evelyn. You have all these boys to worry about now." He saw that she still appeared worried and added, "I have a place to go and I have people who care about me."

But who will care about me, Evelyn thought selfishly. She kept her thought to herself and smiled, "Will you at least visit?" She didn't want to cry and hoped that if she acted strong, she would feel strong.

He nodded, "Of course I will." He looked around the room and sighed, "That's everything. Walk an old man to the door, would you?"

He held out his elbow and Evelyn took it to help support him. She worried about his health and hoped that wherever he was going, he would at least have time to rest. As they reached the door, he turned and kissed her cheek. "You're a strong young woman. You can handle these boys and remember, if any of them give you any trouble, let Spot handle them."

Evelyn smiled softly and enveloped him in a hug, "Be sure you don't forget about us."

She had to choke back tears as she watched Joe walk away. He had been the sweetest man she had ever met and she was terrified of what would happen after he left. In the week she had known him, Joe had been more of a father to her than her own father had been for her entire life. As he turned the corner, Evelyn turned back into the lodging house. She took a deep breath and looked around as she contemplated how her life had changed.

It was a huge jump from prostitute to caretaker. The hours were longer but the work was much easier. At least it was when the newsies listened. Most of them did, however, there were a select few that wouldn't listen for the life of her. Two in particular; Boxer and Tease. They were best friends and thick as thieves. Tease had recognized her the minute he set eyes on her. It had taken a day for Evelyn to place him but she finally recognized her as one of her customers. He had only visited her once which was why he was so hard to remember but he remembered her without a problem.

He refused to say anything within earshot of either Spot or Joe but Evelyn could see in his eyes just how well he remembered her. Evelyn could only assume that he had told Boxer about her past since he refused to listen to a word she said unless Spot threatened him. Evelyn was worried that, with Joe gone, the two might gain enough confidence to try something or tell the others. She hadn't said a word to Spot about Tease recognizing her out of embarrassment and he had attributed their insubordination to the fact that they didn't want to listen to a woman.

She decided to spend the morning cleaning the bunk rooms. It was the task which generally took up the bulk of her time and she hoped it would make her miss Joe less if she kept busy. She refused to make their beds since they all had the ability to do so but she could tidy up and clean the floors.

After she cleaned those rooms, she decided to move onto Spot's room. Joe had told her that Spot cleaned it himself but since she had been sleeping there instead of Spot until Joe's room was vacant, Evelyn knew it was her place to clean it. She had just finished making the bed when Spot walked in. She glanced up in surprise, "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just finishing up."

Spot smiled, "Hey Evelyn." He looked around whistled. "Damn, maybe I should have you clean my room," he teased.

She smiled and shook her head, "This is the last time I clean this room." She paused and frowned, "I'm moving into Joe's room tonight."

A frown crossed Spot's face, "Joe mentioned he was leaving today."

Evelyn smiled softly, "He left this morning."

"Are you going to be okay with that?"

She shrugged, "I guess." She gave him a look, "I'm just worried about certain people not listening to me."

Spot frowned, "Tease?" She nodded. "I never thought he would have that much trouble listening to a woman. No one else seems to mind."

She made a split second decision and decided to tell him the truth. If one person in the house could help her, he could. "It's not because I'm a woman, Spot. It's because he was..." she paused awkwardly, hoping that he would catch her drift.

He did and his face quickly turned to anger, "You've slept with my newsies?"

A look of disbelief crossed her face. He had no right to be angry with her. He knew exactly what she had been. She tried to brush his anger away by laughing, "Spot, did you really think none of your newsies had been there?" The look on his face told her she had only made it worse and she sighed, "Spot, listen. I didn't like to service newsies but I couldn't always turn them away because O'Malley didn't take to kindly to me turning away his money. There have probably only been four or five that I didn't turn away and I doubt they were all from Brooklyn." She refused to apologize for servicing them. As far as she was concerned, she had no reason to apologize.

He shook his head, "But you did. You slept with my newsies," he accused. He picked up his pillow and threw it against the wall angrily.

Evelyn shook her head, "I don't understand, Spot. You know exactly what I did. Why are you upset?" You have no right to be upset, she thought angrily. In spite of only being here a week, she knew enough than to push Spot's buttons. She had seen what happened to those who did.

"The thought of you sleeping with them. It's just..." He didn't finish but he didn't have to. The look of pure disgust and anger on his face said all Evelyn needed it to.

Evelyn felt her anger rise up and boil over, "You're upset because your newsies slept with a prostitute?"

Spot looked confused for a moment and shook his head, "No. I'm upset because _you_ slept with my newsies."

She shook her head angrily and felt tears rush to her eyes. "Because I'm so horrible? That's not any better, Spot."

"Evelyn, I don't like the idea of you sleeping with anyone but I can't stand that my newsies have seen you...like that."

"Oh," Evelyn said softly. He was angry because he felt protective of her? It didn't make sense. He knew nothing about her. They hadn't had any deep conversations since she arrived. In fact, they had barely had anything but superficial conversations since Evelyn had been glued to Joe's side. A thought occurred to her as she remembered her conversations with Joe. "Does this have anything to do with Elizabeth?" she questioned cautiously.

Spot frowned, "Who told you about Elizabeth?" His eyes had narrowed and Evelyn wasn't sure if it meant he was angry at her for bringing Elizabeth up or if it was at the idea that someone was spreading his business.

"You mentioned her once," Evelyn said softly. "The first day we met, remember? You called me Elizabeth."

"Oh."

Evelyn's curiosity got the better of her and she pushed, "Who was she?"

"A friend." His face had softened and Evelyn could tell he was lost in memories.

She paused and debated asking her questions. After a moment, she spoke. "And you couldn't save her?" she asked as she remembered what Joe had said. Spot nodded but didn't say anything. She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder, "And you think I need saving?" she pushed.

A newsie burst through the door interrupting their conversation and causing Evelyn to jump away. He smiled politely at her before focusing on Spot. "Spot, you need to get downstairs quick. Someone is down there yelling about how you stole Evelyn. Said she was their property." He glanced at her with a look of confusion written over his face. Evelyn felt her heart drop to her stomach and resisted the urge to faint. She had never been very good at handling confrontation.

Spot turned to her with a sad smile, "It looks like you do, Evelyn."

They made their way quickly down to the entryway with Spot leading the way and Evelyn trailing as far back as she dared. The entire time, Evelyn's heart was racing and she could feel sweat pooling. She had a feeling she knew exactly who was downstairs but she hoped against hope it wasn't him and he had simply sent a goon for her. As she saw the man causing the commotion, her worst fears were confirmed. It was Chester.

He did not look like the type one would imagine owned and ran a brothel. He looked as though he stepped out of the mayor's office with his tailored suit and fancy hair cut but Evelyn knew the truth. She knew that he was ruthlessly cruel and would break her without even a second thought. She moved slightly behind Spot and tried to be strong.

With a jerk of his head, Spot cleared the room of his newsies and they were left alone with Chester. Part of Evelyn wondered if that was such a safe idea but she also appreciated that no one else would witness her embarrassment. Or their murders, she thought. "Who the hell are you?" Spot barked angrily as he reached the man.

Chester spoke coolly, "You stole what belongs to me and I want it back."

"I didn't steal nothing so you need to get the hell outta here." Spot stood tall and strong. Evelyn wondered if he doubted Chester's strength. She certainly didn't. She knew that is spite of the fact that Chester did not look very big, he could easily hurt both of them.

Chester looked past Spot where Evelyn had stopped, "Evelyn, let's go. You've cost me a lot of money." Evelyn felt lightheaded as images of what would happen to her once she was back with him raced through her mind. She glanced at Spot, utterly terrified.

Spot had noticed her reaction and shook his head, "She ain't going anywhere." For once, Evelyn was very glad that Spot had the strong urge to protect her. At the moment, she didn't care that it was a misguided attempt to save her. She was just glad he was there.

Chester raised his eyebrow as if he couldn't believe a newsie was defying him. Evelyn couldn't believe that he was defying him either in spite of the fact that she appreciated it. Didn't Spot realize how serious this was? Someone was going to end up hurt and she had a feeling it would be her. Chester turned to Evelyn, deciding that the newsie wasn't worth dealing with, "Let's go."

She bit her lip as she shook her head, "No, I'm not going."

Chester shrugged, "Fine. But it you aren't coming, I expect you to pay for services lost."

Spot made a sound as if to argue but Evelyn put her hand on his shoulder and spoke, "How much?" She should have figured this was what he wanted. She didn't bring in much money so replacing her would be easy, however, you could never get out of the business without a fee. She felt stupid that the thought had never even occurred to her.

"Fifty."

Evelyn felt a surge of rage pass through her, "Fifty?" She shook her head, "I never even brought in that much business." She could never pay that off, and how was she supposed to send money? She shook her head, "That's impossible."

Chester's eyes danced playfully, "That covers the cost of finding a replacement for Lucas O'Malley." Evelyn glanced fearfully at Spot whose face had hardened. "Unless, of course, you want the police involved," Chester added. He seemed not to know that Spot had killed him but Evelyn figured he did. Kitty would have sold them out without a second thought. In fact, she was probably how Chester had found her. She made a mental note to scratch Kitty's eyes out the next time she saw her.

Spot turned to Chester and growled, "This is blackmail."

Chester laughed, "Of course it is." He glanced at Evelyn, "And if you don't pay, I'm sure Joshua wouldn't mind a visit from me."

Evelyn's heart sank and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'll pay. Just leave him out of this. I'll do it," Evelyn rushed. "Just don't hurt him."

Chester smirked, "That's a good girl." He tipped his hat to them, "You know where to find me." With a final smug glance at Evelyn, Chester turned and walked out the door.

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I knew where I wanted to go, I just couldn't get there. I hope you like it. Remember, since you already read it, you might as well review it. It would make me happy.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly.

Evelyn sat in her room crying. Huge salty tears silently rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks. She couldn't believe what just happened. She had hoped that, for once in her life, that she had caught a break. That maybe Chester had just forgotten about her. She shook her head, disgusted at herself for hoping that something so asinine could ever happen to her.

There was a soft knock on her door. She looked up, startled out of her ruminations. While feeling sorry for herself, she had forgotten where she was. She self consciously wiped the tears from her eyes and smoothed her dress. Aware that any of the newsies would see her self pitying as weak, she did her best to compose herself. "Yes?" she called loudly, hoping to mask the tears in her voice. God, she hoped it wasn't some stupid mess to clean. If it was, she was going to shove the newsie's face in it and slap him on the nose with a pape.

The door opened slowly and Spot peaked his head in. "Evelyn? Can I come in?"

She nodded and stood up as Spot closed the door behind him. He looked at her softly, "You kinda ran out on me as soon as he left."

She began to chew nervously on her nail as she debated how to respond. She didn't want to start crying again, to show Spot how weak she was. Evelyn wanted to slap herself. This wasn't her. She was strong; she could handle anything life threw at her. At least that's what she told herself. What she really wanted to do was cry on Spot's shoulder and tell him the whole story. Tell him that, yes, she did need to be saved. But Evelyn couldn't. She just wasn't willing to let someone in. She'd never leaned on anyone for support before and she wasn't about to start now. After a moment of collecting her thoughts, she cleared her throat, "I um…I'm sorry."

Spot walked over and casually sat on her bed. He turned to her with a smirk. "I guess that's your boss."

"Yea, that's Chester." She sat next to him awkwardly, aware that she was in a vulnerable place and that Spot was on some desperate, misguided quest to save her from something. "Would it surprise you to know he's related to the mayor?" she deflected with a smile.

"No," he said simply. "Are you okay? You've been crying." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.

Evelyn chuckled nervously as she took it. She wasn't used to men being sweet and caring without an ulterior motive. She didn't know how to react. "I'm fine, Spot," she said finally.

"You seemed pretty terrified of him."

"For good reason, trust me," she said automatically. One glance at his face told her that she would have been better off not mentioning it. Evelyn could see a long standing anger bristling under the surface. Spot was obviously one of those guys who took any wrong against a woman personally.

"He hurt you?" he asked angrily.

She looked away, not wanting to make the situation worse. "I don't wanna talk about it." She took a deep breath and felt like crying again. Everything had been fine until Spot came into her life. Granted she had been unhappy but at least she had been able to take care of business. Now, there was no way she could send money and Chester had threatened Joshua. "What am I going to do?" she asked with a groan.

Spot answered quickly, "You can't pay him."

Evelyn laughed. Such a typical man. She would love to tell Chester to shove it but she just didn't have that luxury. "What? I have to." If it will save Joshua, she thought, I will do anything. To Spot she said, "What if he goes to the police?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I get in trouble, not you. I'm the one who killed him. It ain't like he didn't deserve it."

Something about the way he said it made Evelyn pause. He didn't seem fazed by the fact that he killed O'Malley. He never had, she realized. He had taken it in stride and moved on. They'd never even spoken about it. Had he…? Was O'Malley not the first? "Have you killed anyone before?" she ventured cautiously, unsure of whether or not she wanted to hear the answer.

Spot didn't say anything for a minute leaving Evelyn to squirm awkwardly and regret asking. Just as she was about to make a joke to diffuse the awkwardness, Spot spoke. "Yea, I have."

He had? Evelyn didn't know how she felt about that. On one hand, it utterly terrified her that he had and seemed so cavalier about it. On the other hand, it excited her. This was a man who could actually take care of her. Not that she wanted him to. Evelyn could take care of herself, there was no doubt about that. But it was nice to think that there was someone else out there who could. She realized that Spot was tensely waiting on her reaction and spoke softly, "Were they all like him? Bad people?"

Her lack of judgment seemed to calm him and he shrugged, "To me, yea. They all threatened me somehow and I had to fix it." There was an awkward silence while Evelyn processed what he said. He sighed and turned to her, "Evelyn, listen. Being a newsie is a hard life. There are turf wars, there are muggings, there is a lot of shit that goes down that ain't pretty. All me boys come from the streets and they come with baggage. Baggage that has to be dealt with. When that happens, I'm gunna do my best to keep you out of it because you're a woman and you shouldn't have to deal with that shit."

She could understand baggage. She came from the streets and knew just how much trouble people could find on them. And just how many people never got what was coming to them. If Spot was willing to help his newsies and it occasionally went that far, Evelyn could only respect him more. She suddenly knew that she had made the right decision when she left with Spot. "How many?" she asked suddenly.

"Enough," he answered shortly.

She should have stopped, but she didn't. "Do you regret any of them?"

"Evelyn," he warned. Evelyn sensed that he had reached the limit of what he was willing to share with her. Not that she could blame him. She certainly wasn't willing to share that much with him. She stood and was about to change the subject when Spot continued, "The first was my father. When I was fourteen. He..um..he was touching my sister." Evelyn felt the rage build inside her. In her business, she knew just how easy it was for a man to take advantage of someone. And for a father…..to his daughter… "I didn't do anything and she killed herself so I killed him." He stopped and Evelyn placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. "I regret that because death wasn't punishment enough for that bastard."

She took the moment to study him. He looked so angry and torn up. It made sense that he had this insane need to take care of and fix the problems of women. His fixation on helping her not only stemmed from his past with Elizabeth, whoever she was, but also from the situation with his sister. Her heart broke for him. Spot was probably more messed up than she was, she thought with a silent chuckle.

After several minutes of awkward silence, Spot spoke again. "I know someone who may be able to help us."

"Spot, don't. You'll only make it worse." He had made it blatantly apparent that his type of help would involve violence.

He took one of her hands in his and shook his head. "Trust me. I've ruined your life. Let me make it right."

There was something in his eyes when he said it that made Evelyn think he needed to help her more than she needed his help. She was reminded once again of Elizabeth. Who was she and what had happened to her to cause Spot so much turmoil? She sighed and relented, "Fine."

"It may take awhile but he'll help."

She bit her lip nervously. "Could you take the afternoon off selling tomorrow? I want you to go somewhere with me."

"Sure. Where?"

"I want you to see why it's so important that this is taken care of."

A/N: Sorry about the delay. Read it, review it. Let me know what you think. Next chapter you get to meet someone very close to Evelyn.


	6. Chapter 6

It was interesting to walk down the streets of Brooklyn with Spot. Everyone seemed to know who he was and everyone seemed to respect him. When she walked down the streets by herself, Evelyn would get stares from men who recognized her but generally she was ignored. Spot, on the other hand, was greeted by nearly every person they passed and paused for quick conversations with half of them. Not just boys either, older men, too. Some of them looked quite dangerous and seedy as well. Evelyn was starting to wonder just how much the newsies really did and how much of it was legal. Perhaps they weren't as innocent as they seemed when she saw them on the streets. She made a silent vow to ask Spot about it the next time she caught him alone.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. Once Spot led her to a street she was familiar with, it took only ten minutes. She had been there a million times before and would be there a million times again. Evelyn paused in front of the house, suddenly nervous; she was late. She should have been here three days ago with her latest payment, but things had been hectic and there hadn't really been time. She knew Millie wouldn't react well to her showing up late, especially with Spot. Thinking of that reminded her that he was with her and didn't know how her sister could be. She glanced at him and gave him a quick warning; "Just don't overreact or anything."

His eyebrow cocked critically and a skeptical look crossed his face. For a moment, he simply stared at her, trying to decide if she was serious. "Is there a reason I would overreact?" he asked finally.

She shrugged nervously. "My sister is…" she paused, wondering how best to explain her elder sister. "She can say things." Or throw things. Having grown up with her, Evelyn was used to it, but she knew Spot wouldn't be and likely wouldn't take it well.

"You're sister?" Spot asked his brow knit in confusion. When Evelyn looked away and didn't say anything, Spot asked with a frown, "What kind of things?"

Evelyn began chewing her nails nervously. She didn't want to explain her whole life to Spot; she just wanted him to meet Joshua so he could understand how serious this thing with Chester was. "She's just…had a hard life. Ignore her. Okay?" Spot just stared at her, disappointment evident in his eyes. Evelyn wondered momentarily if it was a mistake to bring Spot here. No, she thought, he needs to meet Joshua. "Spot, please?" she asked, putting on the puppy face she used when she wanted something from her clients.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes at her antics. "Fine."

A wide smile spread across her face as relief flew through her; that was one less thing to worry about. After taking a deep, calming breath she turned back and knocked on the door.

It took only a moment for the door to open revealing a young woman several years older than Evelyn. It was apparent to anyone who cared to look that they were sisters. They shared the same recklessly messy dirty blonde hair and the same dark grey eyes. The only difference was that the older woman's eyes were narrowed and shone with anger and distrust as her glance bounced between the young man and young woman standing at her door. Evelyn wouldn't be surprised if her sister had been watching and listening through the window.

"Hey, Millie," Evelyn said, a cautious smile playing on her face. She momentarily hoped her sister hadn't been drinking. That would make this a potentially disastrous situation.

Millie's glare landed on Spot who was standing behind Evelyn, her eyes running critically over him. "Get inside," she said after a tense moment.

Evelyn quickly walked through the door and glanced around, not at all shocked to see the deplorable conditions of the place. Dishes weren't done; stale, fly ridden food was strewn about the floor. Even though she was used to it, it made her sick. She wondered what Spot would make of it. She turned to her sister and asked, "Where is he?"

"Do you have it?" Millie asked, ignoring Evelyn's question.

Having had the same exact conversation a million times before, Evelyn was ready. She handed her sister a small bag filled with coins. "This is all I have."

Millie took it eagerly, spilling the coins into her hand. She counted it and Evelyn prayed she wouldn't complain that it was less than she usually brought. Thankfully, Millie just pocketed the money and glanced once again at Spot. "Who is this? Another one of Chester's guys?" she asked as she reached for a bottle of liquor.

"No," Evelyn said flashing Spot a nervous glance. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would approve of a woman drinking. His face gave nothing away and Evelyn pushed along with introductions. "Millie, this is Spot Conlon, a friend. Spot, this is Millie, my sister."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Spot said politely.

It had been evident since they walked through the door that Spot didn't approve of Millie one bit making Evelyn nervous. She was about to smile thankfully at Spot when her arm was grabbed and twisted by her sister. "What do you think you're doing?" she spat angrily. "Chester isn't going to take kindly to you flitting around with some boy." With their faces so close together, Evelyn could smell that her sister had indeed been drinking.

Evelyn grimaced and pulled her arm away, putting it in front of Spot who had taken an aggressive step forward. "I'm not working for Chester anymore," she said through pursed lips, knowing that it would further anger her sister. She'd been hoping she could hide that fact from her sister until a time when she was sober but there was no way of knowing when that would be.

"What?" Millie yelled, taking a violent step closer to them. "The only reason he let me go was if you took my place."

She could feel the bristling angry heat radiating off of Spot and said a silent prayer that he would remain calm. This was nothing compared to what she had dealt with growing up. "Its fine," she said softly to Millie. "We're gunna take care of it."

Evelyn never saw the slap coming. It shouldn't have surprised her but it did. Some part of her thought her sister would keep her anger in check in front of Spot. The force of the slap knocked her back against him causing him to wrap his arms around her to catch her. He didn't let go, holding tightly and possessively, as he began to yell. "What the hell? Who're you to treat your own sister like that?"

It was the wrong thing to say and Evelyn braced herself as Millie exploded with rage. "Excuse me? Who the hell are you? Coming into my house and yelling at me?"

It came as a surprise to Evelyn that her sister hadn't thrown something at Spot. She took it as a sign that her sister wasn't too drunk yet. Turning, Evelyn placed her hand on Spot's arm to keep him from responding. "Spot, don't." He glanced down at her and saw the emotions shining in her eyes. The cold anger didn't dissipate from his eyes but he didn't say anything. She turned back to her older sister, pulling out of Spot's arms as she did. "Trust me, Millie. I won't let you down." She'd seen her sister mad enough times to know yelling and getting angry would only make things worse.

"I've heard that before," Millie scoffed. She scowled at them both but the fact that she didn't scream again was a good sign.

"Is he here? Where is he?" Evelyn asked with a sigh. Millie nodded her head in the direction of another room and walked away with disgust in the opposite direction.

Evelyn ignored her, taking Spot's hand in hers and led him from the room. "What the hell, Evelyn?" Spot said as soon as Millie was out of earshot. "That's your sister? That's why it's so important to fix this? So you can give her lazy ass money?" His disappointment and anger was dripping from his words. She knew that if she turned and looked at him, his face would shine with the same righteous anger on his face when Chester had visited.

She waited until he came into view before answering. "No, he is." Evelyn pointed to the baby lying silently on a chair. She walked over and picked him up and he instantly started cooing. A wide smile spread on her face as Spot walked over to her, "Spot Conlon, I want you to meet the most important person in my life. This is Joshua Svedlack, my nephew."

Spot leaned over to get a better look at Joshua and smiled softly, "You're nephew?" The relief was evident in his voice and Evelyn knew that he had thought that Joshua had been her child.

"Yes, isn't he the most handsome baby you've ever seen?" Evelyn cooed as she showered the baby with kisses. She hadn't seen him in over a week and it had driven her crazy. Even though he was only her nephew, Evelyn thought of him as her son. He meant more to her than anyone had in her entire life.

Spot chuckled at her reaction to her nephew. "Yea, he is."

Evelyn didn't hear him. She was too focused on Joshua. After several minutes of kissing and hugging her nephew, she turned to Spot with a sigh. "See Spot? This is why everything needs to work out." Her eyes plead desperately for him to grasp the magnitude of what she was sharing with him.

He didn't say anything for a moment. He just stared at Joshua. Evelyn bit her lip nervously as she awaited his reaction. Had she misjudged Spot? Finally, he looked up at Evelyn, "I understand."

That was all she needed to hear. Evelyn smiled thankfully and went back to playing with the only family she had who mattered.

After twenty minutes, they left. She was never allowed to stay longer than that, no matter how hard she begged. As they walked out the door, Evelyn had to fight to hold familiar tears in her eyes. Spot had seen her crying more than enough times for this lifetime.

Evelyn knew there would be questions. The minute they were off Millie's street, Spot stopped them. She turned towards him curious and Spot took her face in his hands. Evelyn trembled nervously, uncertain what he was doing. After a moment of inspecting her face he spoke, "You're going to have a swollen lip."

Her hand flew to the side of her face that Millie had slapped. She hadn't even been fazed by the slap. Living with Millie her entire life and working with Chester, she was used to being pushed around. "It happens," she said with a rueful smile.

"It shouldn't," Spot said simply. She looked down, embarrassed. When she glanced at him again, she became aware that Spot hadn't moved his hands and continued to stare at her. She didn't think she wanted him to stop. His hands were rough and ink stained but she didn't mind. She was reminded of the night that she had left, when Spot had helped her up and held her longer than necessary.

Spot suddenly dropped his hands and turned to start walking again, leaving Evelyn confused. Not wanting to be left behind, she quickly walked up next to him as Spot said, "Your nephew? Millie's son?"

Evelyn nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately; he couldn't have a worse mom. But a bad mom is better than no mom I suppose," she said remembering her own childhood. Her mother had died weeks after she was born.

"His dad?" he asked curiously.

"Who knows," she answered with a shrug. Spot glanced at her, waiting for further explanation. "Millie used to work for Chester. Not one of his top earners but she made enough to be considered relatively important, I guess. Joshua's the product of that life."

There was silence for several minutes as they both thought about Joshua. Spot spoke again. "So you took her place when she got pregnant?"

"Basically." She didn't mention that Chester had forced her to take her sister's place. It was either that or he would have found a way to end Millie's pregnancy. There were some things Spot didn't need to know.

"Why do you give her money?" he finally asked.

Evelyn had been waiting for that question. Some days she asked her self the same thing. Even if she didn't bring her money, Millie would scrounge some up somehow. Maybe she would go back to Chester, maybe she would turn to stealing, or maybe she would even get a legitimate job. Bringing her money every week only enabled her to continue living the way she was. Evelyn turned to Spot, a helpless look evident on her face.

Spot's eyes softened as he pulled her to him in a hug. "I understand," he said simply. "We all have baggage."

Evelyn nodded against his chest, thankful that she had finally found someone who understood. Maybe, she thought to herself, she needed Spot more than she was willing to admit.

A/N: Sorry about the delay. I finally got a job, six months after moving here. I've been busy with that but I'm going to try to update my stories on a regular basis.


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